Kanye West Teases New James Blake-Produced Music

During a brief headlining-making (like most everything he’s up to these days) stop in London for Fashion Week, Kanye West made an appearance at an afterparty where he previewed some new songs he and James Blake had recorded.

In videos captured by partygoers, West appeared in good spirits as he took over the DJ booth and adjusted the equalizers on the turntables while a few seconds of a song began to play. He cut the track shortly after those seconds but played a song for a bit longer after that (difficult to decipher whether it was the same one or different). Fans quickly drew comparisons that the longer track previewed sounded like the 2016 Blake track “Always.”

Related Stories

Photo illustration of a robot's hand holding a magnifying glass VIP+

Cloud Adoption Key to Media Business Exploiting AI

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Richard Gadd, winner of the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series for “Baby Reindeer”, poses in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Netflix Inks First-Look Deal With Richard Gadd Despite $170 Million 'Baby Reindeer' Lawsuit: 'We're Very Proud of Richard and the Story He Told'

Blake re-shared the videos, adding: “It’s my birthday and [West] is playing tracks we made I’m good for presents thanks.” He later asserted via Twitter that the track did not include a “sample” of “Always,” as some fans were supposing. “Doesn’t sample ‘Always.’ It’s new,” he tweeted. Riling up fans even further, he revealed that he had also produced two other songs with West.

Popular on Variety

It’s my birthday and @kanyewest is playing tracks we made I’m good for presents thanks

— James Blake (@jamesblake) September 27, 2022

Although there are no details or confirmation on whether or not these songs will ever see the light of day, the move affirms West and Blake’s long-established eagerness to produce records together.

Despite the fact that the pair have never released music together, West has previously shared his affinity for Blake — calling him his favorite artist during an interview in 2013. Blake has also been heavily sought after in the rap and hip-hop community, having already worked with titans like Travis Scott and most recently, with Freddie Gibbs.

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2BjqasrKGTZLumw9JoopqmqZp6uLHSrWStnZGosrR5yZqknqtdl7mit8Rmp6unlKqwprCMpqysoZNiubC6w6ilZmliaIJ0hJNybXFn